• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Tech

Facebook Messenger Kids App Is Expanding

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 22, 2018, 3:21 PM ET

Facebook’s Messenger Kids app is heading outside the U.S. to Canada and Peru.

As part of the expansion, the social networking giant said Friday that it would also debut Spanish and French language versions of the children’s messaging app that are now available in all three countries where the service is available.

Facebook (FB) introduced Messenger Kids in December, pitching it as a safer way for children under 13 to chat with friends while sending them silly GIFs, emoji, and other goofy digital imagery. Unlike the core Facebook social networking service or other messaging apps, Facebook said that Messenger Kids does not display any online ads or allow kids to buy things within the app.

However, Facebook’s decision to release a child-friendly version of its messenger app comes amid harsh criticism by researchers, activists, and shareholders about the potential detrimental effects of compulsive technology use by children. In January, a group of child health experts wrote a public letter urging Facebook to abandon Messenger Kids, because “younger children are simply not ready to have social media accounts.”

Facebook countered that it had consulted with online safety experts when developing Messenger Kids and that the service has a variety of online access tools and features that parents can use to monitor their children’s’ online habits. One new parental control feature Facebook highlighted on Friday was the option for two parents to now have access to Messenger Kids accounts instead of only one.

Facebook also doubled down on its pledge that Messenger Kids can be a safe way for children to message each other, and said Friday that it created the app “with elements that teach kids how to better understand and express their emotions in creative ways, encourage and promote healthy social behaviors, and deepen positive connections between kids and their close friends and families.”

Some of the new child safety features Facebook said would debut at a later date include an online pledge that kids must sign before using the service. The online pledge says that in order for users to “to make sure everyone has a good time on Messenger Kids,” they must agree to “be kind,” “be respectful,” “be safe,” and “have fun.”

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

It’s unclear whether merely agreeing to “be kind” will prevent online bullying or other malicious acts that have caused parents to worry in recent years as more children use social networking services.

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
In 2026, many employers are ditching merit-based pay bumps in favor of ‘peanut butter raises’
By Emma BurleighFebruary 2, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Cybersecurity
Top AI leaders are begging people not to use Moltbook, a social media platform for AI agents: It’s a ‘disaster waiting to happen’
By Eva RoytburgFebruary 2, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
Meet the Palm Beach billionaire who paid $2 million for a private White House visit with Trump
By Tristan BoveFebruary 3, 2026
22 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
President Trump just missed a key legal deadline for his spending plans—stoking economists’ fears over the $38.5 trillion national debt
By Eleanor PringleFebruary 3, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Future of Work
‘You’re not a hero, you’re a liability’: Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary warns Gen Z founders to stop glorifying hustle culture
By Jacqueline MunisFebruary 2, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, February 2, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerFebruary 2, 2026
2 days ago

Latest in Tech

Adaption Labs cofounders Sara Hooker and Sudip Roy
AIfunding round
Former Cohere exec Sara Hooker has raised $50 million for her AI startup Adaption Labs—a bet on smaller, smarter models
By Jeremy KahnFebruary 4, 2026
1 hour ago
NewslettersTerm Sheet
Kleiner Perkins’s Leigh Marie Braswell learned about risk from playing poker: “If the odds are in your favor, you push your chips to the center”
By Allie GarfinkleFebruary 4, 2026
2 hours ago
Founder and CEO of Citadel Ken Griffin looks on during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 21, 2026.
EconomyPolitics
Ken Griffin is apparently done with ‘sucking up’ to the White House
By Eleanor PringleFebruary 4, 2026
3 hours ago
Photo: A man chopping wood with an axe.
InvestingMarkets
Tech stocks go into free fall as it dawns on traders that AI has the ability to cut revenues across the board
By Jim EdwardsFebruary 4, 2026
3 hours ago
NewslettersFortune Tech
Disney, HP, and PayPal do the CEO shuffle
By Alexei OreskovicFebruary 4, 2026
3 hours ago
CryptoCryptocurrency
Crypto crime-fighting startup TRM Labs notches $1 billion valuation with new $70 million funding round
By Leo SchwartzFebruary 4, 2026
4 hours ago